Chiropractic table



July 16, 1940. s. s. B. KJELGAARD CHIROPRACTIC TABLE Original Filed July30, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTEIR y 16, 1940- G. G. 3 KJELGAARD2,208,502

CHIROPRACTIC TABLE Original Filed July 30, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTDR y 16, 1940- G. G. B. KJELGAARD 08,502

CHIROPRACTIC TABLE Original Filed July 30, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTUH Patented July 16, 1940 UNHTEB STATES PATENT OFFHCE ApplicationJuly 30, 1936, Serial No. 93,327 Renewed December 14, 1939 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel method of adjusting the vertebrae ofthe spine by providing a table having means whereby the body of thepatient may be turned simultaneously with the adjusting move to thevertebrae.

While a number of adjusting tables have been devised with table topsections that are movable in a variety of positions, the object of thisinvention is to construct an adjusting table, where the table top isdivided into a number of sections having a lateral turning movement inan arc of a circle, the center of which is above the top of the tab-1e,the object of these laterally turning sections being to turn the body ofthe patient at the moment the adjusting move is made to the vertebrae,said table sections having means whereby they may be turnedsimultaneously with the adjusting move to the vertebrae for the purposeof facilitating moving these in position.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby the varioustable top sections may be locked in a horizontal position so as topermit using the table as an ordinary adjusting table and facilitategetting on and off the table by patient.

Another object of my invention is the construction of the top surface ofthe main body supporting table sections, which are made concave fromside to side to correspond with the convexity across front of body ofthe patient, so as to better support this on the table.

Another object of my invention is to construct the part of the tablesupporting the legs of the patient lower than the body supporting partof the table for the purpose of facilitating getting on. and ofi thetable by the patient.

A further object of my invention is to provide means on the tablewhereby the turning of the sections of the table may be operated by thefoot or knee of the practitioner.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the followingdescription in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the adjusting table.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of same.

Fig, 3 is a front elevation of the part of the table supporting the headof the patient.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the part of the table supporting the mainbody of the patient taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a main body supporting section and itssupport on the frame taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the part of the table supporting thelower body and legs of the patient taken on the line B6 of Figure 1.

Fig. 7 is a front view of a modified form of a main body supportingsection.

Fig. 8 is a cross-section of the head support of the table taken on theline 8--8 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a cross section of a main body supporting section and itssupporting frame taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 10 is a cross section of part of the mechanism for locking the mainbody supporting sections in position taken on the line lit-I9 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of a modification of table.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which similarreference characters indicate similar parts 29 designates the rear legsof rear part of the table, these being fastened to the longitudinal sidebars 2!, which at their front ends are supported by the legs 22. Theside bars 2| are connected together by cross pieces 23, Fig. 6, thesehaving their upper sides formed concave in an arc of a circle.

'The rear body support of the table comprises a lower horizontal partcomposed of the side members 24 united by the cross board '25, and anupward and forward inclined part composed of the side members 26 unitedby the cross board 21, the cross boards 25 and 21 being covered bysuitable cushions 28 and give support to the legs and lower body of apatient. Fastened to under surfaces of side members 24 and cross board25 are the cross pieces 29, these being placed directly above the crosspieces 23, Fig. 6, and are curved convexly in an arc of a circle attheir under sides to correspond with'the concave upper sides of thecross pieces 23 so as to permit rear part of the table to turn in a sidedirection on its supporting frame. Attached to outer and under sides ofthe cross pieces 29 in any suitable manner as by countersunk screws andcurved to conform with the curve of the cross pieces 29 are the arcuatetrack members 39, which extend slightly below the curved under sides ofthe cross pieces 29 and rest on the track supports 3|, which may be flatmetal strips attached to the side bars 2| and serving to reduce frictionwhen turning rear table support, this being held in turning engagementwith its frame I Connected to the front part of the side bars 2| in anysuitable manner as by bolts are the two cross pieces 33, and to uppersides of these are attached in a similar manner the middle longitudinalbar 34 and the two outer longitudinal bars 35, the outer bars at theirforward ends being attached to and supported by the legs 35. Hingedlyconnected to upper and rear part of the bars 35 is the swinging stopmember 3?, which may be turned inward against bottom of cross board 2'!until at right angle with this, it being stopped from swinging past thisposition by the cross piece 38 and serves in this position to lock therear support from turning, and when turned forward it permits rear tablesection to be turned to either side.

The side bars 35 give attachment to a series of upwardly extendingsupports 39, these being connected together by cross pieces 49, Fig. 5,the upper sides of which are concave and give support to the bodysupporting sections 4 I, these being formed in an arc of a circle attheir under side and are preferably made concave at their upper side.The middle part of under side of sections 4| is grooved 42 and to theirouter and lower sides are attached the arcute track members 43 curved toconform with the downward curve of under side of sections 4| andextending slightly below the under side of these; the arcuate trackmembers 43 resting on track supports 44 attached to upper sides ofsupports 39 for the purpose of reducing friction in turning of sections4!, these being guided and held in position on the supports 39 by meansof guide members 45 attached to the cross pieces 40 and having aprojection extending inward over the arcuate track members 43 for thepurpose of keeping the sections 4| in position on their supports.

The sections 4| may be locked in horizontal position, so they can notturn, by means of a pair of stop members 46 hingedly connected at theirlower ends to blocks 41 Fig. 5 attached to outer sides of supports 39and with their upper ends engaging the grooves 42 at under sides ofsections 4!, and for the purpose of assisting in moving the stop members46 out of and into engagement with the sections M, the stop members maybe provided with knobs 48 and are held in their upward position by meansof a pair of flat springs 49 curved inward at their upper end andconnected to the blocks 4! at their lower end.

The top sections 4| are provided with suitable cushions 50, and to frontside of front section 5! is attached a downward extending board 52,which gives attachment to a U shaped forward extension 53 Fig. 4provided with a cushion 54 and serving to support the arms and shouldersof the patient when in position on the table.

The various table top sections may be turned individually or may beconnected together by any suitable means as by a sliding bolt 55attached to outer sides of the body supporting table top sections andadapted to engage a corresponding opening 56 in its adjoining section.

For the purpose of more'effectively turning the body of the patient,straps 5'! may be provided, these straps being fastened at one end toouter sides of the various table top sections, and when placed over thepatients back they may be fastened together by any suitable means as abuckle and serve to hold the patient in more firm contact with the tabletop sections, so as to make the turning of the patients back moreclosely follow the turning of the sections.

The middle longitudinal bar 34 is carried forward beyond the two outerbars 35 and rests on the cross pieces 58 Fig. 3 attached to the uprightsupports 59. At their upper ends the upright supports have attached thecross pieces 5E, these being concave at their upper sides to correspondwith the convexity of the cross sections 5!, which at their upper sidesare united by the cross board 62 with the brace 53 and have on theirunder sides at the outer edges attached the arcuate track members 64,which slide on friction reducing track supports 65 attached to upperside of supports 59. Guide members 66 are connected to outer sides ofcross pieces and have a pro jection extending over upper surface ofarcuate track members 64 for the purpose of guiding and holding thecross sections 6| in position when turning these. The board 62 isprovided with suitable cushions 61, which give support or the head ofpatient, and in order to lock the head support in position when desired,a lock member 68 is provided, this being at its lower end hingedlyconnected to front side of front cross board and when turned upwardengages a curved, fiat spring catch 69 attached to the front section 5|,it being locked in position by means of the side stops 10, also attachedto section 6!.

The various body supporting sections may be turned in any mannerconvenient, as by the hand, knee or foot of the practitioner, however inthe drawings I have illustrated the generally preferred form of turningthese by foot operated means.

To the lower part of the supportnig legs of the table are hingedlyconnected the foot boards H, which near their outer ends in any suitablemanner as by screw eyes or hooks '12 give attachment to a flexible cord13 of suitable material as wire, which at its other end 14 is connectedin a similar manner to upper part of the table top sections; the cordsmay be connected at their upper ends to the side of these sections onthe opposite side of their foot board attachment. The foot boards may beprovided with a plurality of hooks or eyes for attachment of lower endsof cords 13, whereby the degree of turning of the table top sections maybe varied to suit the need of various patients. To the top of foot boardmay be attached any suitable material as rubber for giving the foot ofthe practitioner a better grip on the foot board and prevent slipping,and also the under side of the foot board may have attached a shockabsorber 15 of flexible material as felt or rubber to avoid noise or jarwhen pressing foot board against floor.

The main body supporting sections may be covered by an extra cushion 16over the individual cushions of each section.

Fig. 7 illustrates a modified body supporting section adapted to beturned by the knee of practitioner, it being provided with a kneeoperated suitably cushioned extension 11.

Fig. 11 illustrates the adjusting table with a modified form ofmechanism for turning the body supporting sections of the table, whichmechanism includes a foot operated board I8 on each side of the tableand extending between supporting legs 22 and 36 of table, hingedlyconnected at their inner edge to said legs. At their upper and outerpart the foot boards 18 give attachment to connection means as cables orrods 19, which at their upper ends are attached to the outer ends of thebody supporting sections and serve to turn these when the foot board ismoved downward, and in order to control the movement of the various bodysupporting sections independently of each other the cables 19 are madedetachable and may be disconnected either at their upper or lower endsby means of eyes or hooks engaging corresponding hooks or eyes on footboards or table sections, and each table top section being provided withindividual turning means, the sliding bolts 55 illustrated in Fig. l aredispensed with in this modification of table.

The enclosed drawings illustrate a table with a frame constructed mainlyof wood, however any other suitable material as metal may be used, andalso the part of the table supporting the main body of the patient maybe divided into a greater number of sections than the 3 sectionsillustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 11.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is desired that such changes and modifications may be madein the construction and arrangement of parts as will properly comewithin the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. In a table of the character described, adapted to cause a rotatingmovement to all the various sections of the spine of a person recliningon the table, a longitudinal supporting frame, a rear table top sectionmounted upon the frame, a plurality of consecutive body supporting tabletop sections mounted upon the frame and being substantially Wider intheir lateral direction of the table than in their anterior-posteriordirection of the table, said body supporting table top sections beingslidably and rotatively mounted upon the frame, the part of the tabletop sections engaging the frame having sliding movement in an arc inlateral direction of the table, a head supporting table top sectionmounted upon the frame at the front end of same, means for locking theslidably turning table top sections to the frame support, and means forreleasing these for sliding movement laterally in an arc with the partof the table top sections engaging the frame, the center of the guidingarcs for the table top sections being above the part of the table top onwhich patient reclines.

2. In a table of the character described, adapted to cause a rotatingmovement to all the various sections of the spine of a person recliningon the table, a longitudinal supporting frame, a

' rear, leg supporting table top section mounted upon the frame, aplurality of consecutive main body supporting table top sections mountedupon the frame and being substantially wider in their lateral directionof the table than in their anterior-posterior direction of the table, ahead supporting table top section at the front end of table andconnected with t'heframe of table by a frame extension below theshoulder and neck support on front, body supporting, table top section,leaving a deep gap between front body supporting table top section andhead supporting table top section, all the various table top sectionsbeing slidably and rotatively mounted upon the frame, the part of thetable top sections engaging the frame having sliding movement in an arcin lateral direction of the table, the center of the guiding arcs forthe table top sections being above the part of the table top on whichpatient reclines.

3. In a table of the character described, adapted to cause a rotatingmovement to all the various sections of the spine of a person recliningon the table, a longitudinal supporting frame, a rear table top sectionmounted upon the frame, a plurality of consecutive body supporting tabletop sections mounted upon the frame and being substantially wider intheir lateral direction of the table than in their anterior-posteriordirection of the table, said body supporting table top sections beingslidably and rotatively mounted upon the frame, the part of the tabletop sections engaging theframe having sliding movement in an arc inlateral direction of the table, a head supporting table top sectionmounted upon the frame at the front end of same, means adapted to beoperated by the foot of the practitioner for rotating the slidablyturning table top sections, means for locking the slidably turning tabletop sections to the frame support, and means for releasing these forsliding movement laterally in an arc with the part of the table topsections engaging the frame, the center of the guiding arcs for thetable top sections being above the part of the table top on whichpatient reclines.

4. In a table of the character described, adapted to cause a rotatingmovement to all the various sections of the spine of a person recliningon the table, a longitudinal supporting frame, a rear table top sectionmounted upon the frame, a plurality of consecutive body supporting tabletop sections mounted upon the frame and being substantially wider intheir lateral direction of the table than in their anterior-posteriordirection of the table, said body supporting table top sections beingslidably and rotatively mounted upon the frame, the part of the tabletop sections engaging the frame having sliding movement in an arc inlateral direction of the table, a head supporting table top sectionmounted upon the frame at the front end of same, means adapted to beoperated by the knee of the practitioner for rotating the slidablyturning table top sections, means for locking the slidably turning tabletop sections to the frame support, and means for releasing these forsliding movement laterally in an arc with the part of the table topsections engaging the frame, the center of the guiding arcs for thetable top sections being above the part oftable top where patientreclines;

5. In a table of the character described, adapted to cause a rotatingmovement to all the various sections of the spine of a person recliningon the table, a longitudinal supporting frame, a rear table top sectionmounted upon the frame, a plurality of consecutive body supporting tabletop sections mounted upon the frame, and being substantially wider intheir lateral direction of the table than in their anterior-posteriordirection of the table, said body supporting table top sections beingslidably and rotatively mounted upon the frame, the part of the tabletop sections engaging the frame having sliding movement in an arc inlateral direction of the table,

a head supporting table top section mounted upon the frame at the frontend of same, means adapted to be operated by the knee of thepractitioner for rotating the slidably turning table top sections,guiding and retaining means for keeping the various table top sectionsin turning engagement with the frame, means for regulating the degree ofrotation of the various turning table top sections, means for lockingtogether two or more adjoining sections for turning thesesimultaneously, means for locking the slidably turning table topsections to the frame support, and means for releasing these for slidingmovementlaterally in an arc with the part of the table top sectionsengaging the frame, the center of the guiding arcs for the table topsections being above the part of the table top on which pa-' tientreclines.

6. In a table of the character described, adapted to cause a rotatingmovement to all the various sections of the spine of a person recliningon the table, a longitudinal supporting frame, a rear supporting tabletop section mounted upon the frame, a plurality of consecutive main bodysupporting table top sections mounted upon the frame and beingsubstantially Wider in their lateral direction of the table than intheir anterior-posterior direction of the table, a shoulder and necksupport comprising a forward extension connected to front side of thebody supporting section at the front part of table and beingsubstantially of less width than the body supporting section to which itis attached, a head supporting table top section mounted upon the frameat the front end of same, all the various table top sections beingslidably and rotatively mounted upon the frame, the part of the tabletop sections engaging the frame having sliding movement in an arc inlateral direction of the table, the center of the guiding arcs for thetable top sections being above the part of the table top on whichpatient reclines.

GREGERS G. B. KJELGAARD.

